You'se one of us
by Write It Good
Summary: When Davey gets hurt, Jack takes care of him. But what happens when Davey can't sell for a few days? He's told Jack more than once, if he don't sell papes, his folks don't eat. But will he be able to accept Jack's help?
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N): This is my first fanfic. Please comment or review, let me know what you think.**

**This story came into my head and I decided to write it. This will be a chapter story, so I will hopefully update weekly.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

David Jacobs had been selling newspapers for almost a month now. He knew his way around the streets of Manhattan pretty well. Not as well as Jack and some of the older boys, but better than he did before he met the newsies.

Most days his little brother Les sold with him, but sometimes Les would tag along with one of the other newsies. When that happened, like today, Davey would tend to sell in the rougher parts of Manhattan that the younger boys stayed away from.

There was a reason the younger kids, and even some of the older ones, didn't sell here. There were guys who beat up kids just for the fun of it. Especially if they were alone.

"What're you doin' way out here all by yourself?"

David hadn't heard anyone walk up. He spun around to find himself face to face with, not one, but three guys; all bigger than him.

"You ain't gonna find anyone wantin' to buy a pape 'round here," the obvious leader of the three taunted.

David knew by now not to show fear. He had been with the Newsies long enough to know that it only provokes people like this.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," David started.

"Well, you found it anyway," came the reply, as the three men started towards David.

"W-we can work s-something out," David tried, taking a step backwards, his confident front falling away. He quickly found himself bumping into the alley wall.

"Runnin' your mouth'll get you nowhere." With that, David felt a fist connect with his stomach. He doubled over, clutching at his stomach and gasping for air. Suddenly, the blows started coming from all directions, one after the other. He was kicked, punched and shoved until he was sure he would pass out. When his attackers finally lost interest, they  
threw him to the ground and ran off, laughing.

David could feel the blood dripping from a cut in his cheek. He struggled to control his ragged breathing, knowing he took some damage to his ribs. He knew no one would start looking for him for at least a few hours, and who knew how long it would take for them to find him? So David did the only thing he could think to do. He felt around for the wall behind him, pulled his feet somewhat underneath him, and shakily pushed himself up.

Using the wall to support himself, David took a few shaky steps toward the opening of the alley. Once he could see the main road, he tried to determine which way to turn to get back to the lodging house. Turning right, and fighting the pounding in his head, ribs, and lungs, David began to make slow progress towards help.

* * *

Jack was pacing anxiously. "Would ya calm down? It ain't that late and Les ain't worried, I'm sure he's fine," Race tried to reassure him. But Jack knew it wasn't like Davey to be late, he liked to get Les home for dinner and before it got too dark. Davey was still pretty new to selling, he didn't know the neighborhoods to steer clear of. The protector in Jack knew that something wasn't right."Crutchie, you're in charge, keep an eye on the boys. Race, Specs, Henry, Albert, Finch, you'se guys come with me. We gotta go look for Davey, I know something ain't right." Though race was sure Jack was overreacting, he knew better than to argue with the newsboy's leader; especially when he was worried about one of his boys.

Once outside, Jack started giving directions on where to search. "Albert, Finch, you two Check near the harbor, Specs and Henry, head towards Central park and Race and I"  
"Davey"! Jack turned to see what Specs was shouting about. Down near the end of the building, leaning heavily against the wall, was Davey. In a matter of seconds, Specs and Race were on either side of Davey, who looked ready to fall over."Oh my gosh, Davey! Race, Specs, get 'im on the couch, Albert, Finch, try to keep Les upstairs. Don't freak him out, just keep him busy. He don't need to see this." Jack started giving directions, the leader part of him taking over.

The boys took off to do as they were told. Albert and Finch ran upstairs and found Les playing cards with Romeo. "Deal us in?" Albert asked as they joined the younger boys on the floor. Les was happy to have two more players and didn't question why they suddenly wanted to join.

Henry opened the front door of the lodging house as Specs and Race approached with Davey. He let the four boys enter and then followed them in. Henry ran to clear Tommy boy, Mush, and Ike off the couch while the other boys laid Davey down. Crutchie watched from across the room, giving Jack a look of concern and question. Jack just looked at him, mouthed the word "later", and turned his attention back to Davey. "mmm hurts... to... breath" Davey mumbled. "Shhhh. I know" Jack told him. "Just breathe, you can tell me what happened later." And with that, Davey's eyes fluttered and closed as he fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Again, p****lease leave a comment and let me know what you guys think!**

**Til' next time!**

**Katelyn**


	2. Chapter 2

**Phantom Actress: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Me too!**

**I have no medical knowledge. Everything in this chapter is just my idea of the injuries I think Davey could have sustained and how they might be treated.**

Jack knew what to do. This wasn't the first time one of his boys got soaked real bad. It was the first for Davey, though. With the boy settled on the couch, Jack started to survey the damage. _Okay,_ Jack thought, _it doesn't look like he's __bleeding, aside from that nasty cut on his cheek._ While Henry went to get a bowl of water and a clean cloth, Jack carefully unbuttoned Davey's vest and shirt. Without having to touch the injured newsboy, Jack looked carefully at Davey's chest. Between himself and the other newsboys, Jack had seen enough to know if ribs were broken or just bruised. Thankfully, Davey didn't seem to have any broken ribs, but Jack knew there could be fractures, but there wasno way to know for sure. He would probably wrap them up later, just to be safe.

When Henry came back with a bowl of warm water and a cloth, Jack took them and gently wiped the blood from Davey'scheek. When he was finished, Jack decided it would probably be best just to let the boy sleep.

With Davey ok for now, Jack walked over to talk to Crutchie; he knew the kid would start asking questions as soon as hecould. Sure enough, as soon as Crutchie saw the newsboys' leader walking toward him, he started to bombard him withquestions. "What happened? Is he ok? What about Les?""Whoa, slow down kid" Jack chuckled as he sat down next to his friend. "I don't know what happened. We was about to gosearch for 'im, but we found him leanin' up against the side of the lodging house, looking ready to fall over . I think he'll be alright, but right now he needs to rest. Les don't know yet, and I want ta keep it like that til' I can figure out what ta do next."

"Wow, that sounds like a lot."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a moment before Crutchie spoke up.

"Ya know, Davey's real lucky you found him."

"Specs is the one that spotted him first." Jack told him, staring blankly at the couch where Davey lay.

"Sure, but what I saw, you took charge. You were the one making sure Davey wasn't hurt too bad."

Jack just sat there silently, his gaze never leaving the couch.

" You act like you ain't good for the boys, but you are." Jack just scoffed and Crutchie continued. "The fellas look up tayou. They need someone to lead them, and you'se a natural. Whenever any of the boys is hurt or sick, you're the onewho looks after 'em. You always make sure I'm okay when my leg gets real bad. We need you more than you think."

Jack was about to argue when he was cut off by a voice coming from across the room.  
"He's right, you know."  
"Davey!" Jack and Crutchie both looked over at Davey and walked over to the couch.

"I'm really glad you and the boys found me," Davey told Jack.  
"Hey, you did the hard part. It can't have been easy walkin' all the way here in the state you're in." Jack told him.  
"I knew I had to. No one knew where I was, it would've taken a long time for anyone to find me."  
"What happened?" Crutchie asked softly.  
"I was just trying to sell my papes," Davey began slowly," and I decided to cut through an alley to the next street over. I  
don't know where they came from, but these three guys blocked my way. And they were big."  
"Wait, you got attacked by three guys?!" Crutchie exclaimed. Davey winced at the sudden loudness. "Oh, sorry," Crutchie apologized. "It's okay. But yeah, I did. They were laughing, I think they just did it for fun."

Jack was starting to scowl at the thought, but he stayed quiet.

After pausing for a moment, Davey continued. "It all happened so fast. They just all came towards me. I backed into the  
wall and they all started kicking me, and punching me, and pushing me back and forth. It all hurt so much." Davey took a deep, shuddering breath. The sudden, sharp movement wracked his ribs, making him double over in pain. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jack lunged forward, taking Davey by the shoulders and gently pushing him back into the couch. "Just breathe Davey! In, out, in, out." Jack coached. "That's it!"

When he could finally breath again, Davey just lay there, staring at the ceiling. "Thanks Jack." "Anytime." Jack just stood  
there watching the boy. Jack had never seen Davey do anything mean; heck, he had only seen him angry a few times.  
Jack was furious that anyone would do something like this to someone minding their own business. Especially someone as  
nice as Davey. For now, Jack would have to bite back the anger and focus on what mattered most right now: taking care  
of the injured newsie.

"Better?" Jack asked.  
" I guess." Davey shrugged lightly.  
"Good. Since you're awake, I better wrap your ribs so you don't mess them up more if you cough or move." Jack told  
him. "This might hurt a little bit."

Crutchie sat close by , talking to Davey, while Jack tried to carefully wrap bandages around the boys torso. It took about  
10 minutes, and a few failed attempts, but finally, Jack finished. "There, that should help," he told the injured boy, while  
helping him button his shirt. "You still shouldn't move more than you have to for a few days. You need time to heal."  
"Mmm," came the mumbled response. Davey was starting to fall asleep again. Jack let him.

"I should go upstairs and tell Les what happened." Jack told Crutchie, getting to his feet.  
"Don't worry," Crutchie assured him. "I'll watch him, in case he wakes up."  
"Thanks Crutch." And with that, Jack turned and headed upstairs.

* * *

After a couple of hours talking and playing cards, Les started to get bored. He glanced out the window at the rapidly  
setting sun. He turned back to his friends, a worried look on his face.  
"Where's Davey?" Les asked. "It's almost dark, we should be home by now. Mom will be worried."  
Finch and Albert just looked at each other, not sure what to say.  
"Jack's downstairs with him, I'm sure he'll be up soon." Finch finally spoke up.  
"He's downstairs?" Les looked confused. "I'm gonna go see what's taking so long!" Before Albert or Finch could stop him,  
Les was out of his seat, practically running towards the door.

"Hey, slow down kid!" Jack chuckled from the doorway, as Les nearly crashed into him.  
"Jack!" Les exclaimed, looking up at the newsies leader. "Where's Davey?"  
"Let's talk for a minute," Jack said, steering the young newsboy towards the chair he had just vacated.  
"What's going on? Why can't I see him?" Les questioned. "He's _my_ brother!"  
"I know he is, but we need to talk." Once Les was sitting, Jack took a deep breath and started to explain. Finch and Albert stood off to the side, watching. Romeo watched with them, confused. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew Jack would take care of it.

"Here's the thing," Jack struggled to find the right words. "Davey's downstairs on the couch. He got hurt while he was  
out sellin' today."  
"What?!" Les jumped to his feet, eyes wide.  
Jack gently held the boy's shoulders to keep him still. "Hey, listen to me." Les struggled to free himself, but the older boy  
didn't let go. "Look at me Les."  
The boy finally looked up at Jack, eyes filled with shock, fear and anger. "I need to see him!" He screamed, beginning to  
tremble.  
"I know you do, but he's asleep right now. I'll take you down to see him, but he needs to rest so's he can get better.  
Okay?" Jack asked gently.  
Les slowly nodded, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks.  
"Okay, let's go." Jack guided the shaky boy to the stairs, careful not to let go so he wouldn't fall.

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.  
Please review, I would love to hear what you all think.**

**'Til next time!  
Katelyn**


	3. Chapter 3

**Mistiquecats: Thank you!**

**I hope you all enjoy chapter 3.**

Once downstairs, Jack steered Les towards the couch where Davey lay, sleeping. All Les could do was stand there staring at his brother. Nothing like this had ever happened to Davey before. "Davey" Les whispered, tears beginning to fall. He turned back to Jack, "What happened?"

Jack thought for a moment before answering, "your brother was out sellin' his papes when three goons thought it'd be fun to beat up on him.""That's horrible!" Les gasped. "Why would someone do that to Davey, he's nice to everybody?""I wish I knew kid," Jack told him, trying to keep his voice quiet. "Some people just wanna hurt anyone they can; it ain't right, but that's how it is.""Is he going to be okay?" The young newsie asked quietly."You bet," the Manhattan leader replied. "Your brother's strong. He'll be sore for 'bout a week or so, and pretty bruised, but he'll be back to normal before you know it." He gave the kid a slight smile and ruffled his hair. "But it's gettin' late; we'd better get ya home before your folks start to worry too much."

"What about Davey?" Les asked, glancing at his brother."He can stay here for a few days. He shouldn't be walkin' too far yet. I'll have Specs and Henry walk ya home," Jack told the boy.

"But, what about Davey?" The kid asked in a shaky voice. "I wanna talk to him."  
"I'll have the boys come get ya tomorrow so you can see Davey and sell with the fellas if you want." The newsboy leader offered.  
Les was too tired to argue. He would be happy to be home. "Okay."

* * *

Specs and Henry walked on either side of Les as they made their way through the streets of Manhattan. The two boys naturally protected the younger newsies and with night falling in New York, you could never be too careful. Les was  
quiet only speaking to give directions. It was not normal for the kid to be this quiet, but the older boys knew he was  
worried about his brother.

"He'll be ok. Jack'll take good care of him." Henry finally broke the silence with a hand on the young newsies' shoulder.  
"Yeah," came the quiet response.  
"He's right," Specs added. "Jack's taken care of all of us when we's been hurt. He knows what to do."  
"Besides, we'll come get ya in the mornin' and you can see how Davey's doin',"Henry assured.  
Les just nodded. He was starting to feel a little bit better. He knew they were right. He trusted Jack and  
always thought he could do anything. Davey was gonna be okay.

When they reached the apartment building, Les led them to an upstairs unit and knocked on the door. They heard footsteps running toward them from inside, and in a moment, the door was thrown open to reveal a very worried looking woman.

"Les!" The lady rushed forward and pulled the boy into a bear hug. "Where have you been?! Your father and I were getting worried!" She told him, beginning to lead him inside. She noticed the two boys standing behind her son and  
added, "Please come in." She closed the door behind them. "I'm Sarah, by the way; David and Les' mom. And this is my husband Mayer," She told the boys, leading them into the living room where Mr. Jacobs sat on the couch, his injured leg resting on a stool.  
"I'm Specs and this is Henry," The boy wearing glasses replied, suddenly feeling rather awkward.  
"Nice to meet you boys," Mr. Jacobs said, looking over at them. His brow furrowed when he didn't see his eldest son. "Les, where is David?"

Mrs. Jacobs seemed to only notice the absence of her oldest child after her husband mentioned it. "Les, what happened?" She asked, seeing that the boy looked ready to cry.  
"Davey got hurt," He started, his voice beginning to shake again. He didn't know how to tell his parents what  
happened when he didn't really know himself. "I don't know how bad. He was sleeping when we left." He stopped. His voice trailed off and he couldn't continue.  
"When you left?" His mother asked. "He's at the newsboy lodging house?" She guessed, knowing that her sons would  
often spend some time there with the newsies after work.  
Les could only nod, so Specs took over the story. "Jack's takin' care o' him," He told the Jacobs'. "Said it was too far for Davey to walk home."  
"Jack?" Mr. Jacobs asked. "Is this the same Jack that Les is always talking about? The Jack Kelly that led  
that strike a few weeks ago?"  
Specs wasn't sure what this man was thinking. Did he like Jack? Was he angry with him for keeping their son away? So he just nodded. "Yes sir."  
"Well then," He replied, looking at his wife. "From what the boys have told me, David is in good hands."  
The older newsie was relieved.  
"Please, sit anywhere." Mrs. Jacobs motioned to the chairs in the living room, then turned and went into the kitchen.

The three boys did as they were told. Les sat in a chair next to his father, while Specs and Henry each turned a chair  
from the dining room table and sat down across from Mr. Jacobs.

As the boys settled into chairs, Mrs. Jacobs returned carrying three glasses of water. She handed one to each of the  
boys, then joined her husband on the couch.

As the boys sipped at their water, feeling uncomfortable at the couples' generosity, Mr. Jacobs began to speak.  
"Do you know what happened to David?" He asked.  
The newsboys looked at each other for a moment before Specs answered. "All I know's is he was beat up while he was  
out sellin' today." The older boy just stared at the glass in his hands. "He got himself back to the lodging house  
somehow, but he could barely stand when we went out to look for 'im."  
"He could barely stand?" Mrs. Jacobs asked. "Is he going to be alright?"  
Henry took over the story. "Jack thinks he will be. Just wore himself out walkin' that far when he was hurtin'. Jack  
don't want him walkin' that far til' he gets a bit better."  
"That makes sense." Mr. Jacobs said. He looked at his wife. He knew she wanted to see their son; he did too, but he  
knew that it was better for David to rest for awhile. "We'll get to see him as soon as he's better." Mr. Jacobs assured  
his wife. "right now it sounds like he needs some rest so he can heal." He looked down at his injured leg. "I can  
understand that."  
Mrs. Jacobs gave her husband a small smile. He was right. She turned back to the boys, "thank you for bringing Les home."  
She smiled over at the boy falling asleep in his chair. "I'd better get him up to bed. You should get back before it gets  
much later." She is a mother. She would worry about these two boys out in the streets of Manhattan at night, even if they weren't hers.

After promising to come get Les in the morning so he could visit his brother, Specs and Henry thanked the Jacobs' for  
their hospitality and started the walk back home.


End file.
